Exhaustive research shows that the meaning of the word “applicant” has remained fairly constant. It hasn’t changed significantly since the most recent election in Montesano, anyway. After the most recent city council gathering, it seemed appropriate to point that out.

The words “fair,” and “reasonable,” haven’t changed much in that amount of time, either. Most of the job filling that’s done in the world at least pretends to be fair and reasonable. Making it clear that there is not only a preferred candidate, that hasn’t even actually submitted any form of application for a job that has not been formally posted as open, but that the the job description is not even written yet, doesn’t pass the smell test for “fair,” or “reasonable.”

Ladies and gentlemen, we’re in Montesano, Washington. Everybody who wants to knows what everybody else is doing. If you’re in city government, you’re in the fishbowl. Everybody sees everything you’re doing. The higher you are in the city government hierarchy, the bigger you are in comparison to the other fish. The mayor and the city council have zero chance of doing anything that isn’t visible and obvious.

Arguing for almost a half an hour over the meaning of the word “applicant” is not the way to engender the confidence of the gathered public that there is a lick of common sense on the dais. Also, for some folks, that might make it seem like somebody is trying to run a gadget play instead of being straightforward in the process of filling the public works position left open by a forced resignation.

Generate a job description, post it, and then allow a normal process for finding a suitable candidate. That would be fair and reasonable. Heck, there might be a suitable candidate out there who’s never been fired by the city.

Just a thought.

A city council position that opened in February isn’t being filled until May. That seems like a long time. Is there a published reason or rule for that gap?

Hey! Who remembers Free WiFi? I do. Every time I go to Pick Rite I try to find it and log on to it. The results are not stellar. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Hey, it’s free right? I have a few questions, though:

Who makes sure the Free WiFi is always on, accessible, and useful?

Who maintains it at this degree of excellent operability and usefulness?

Who pays their wages?

Who buys the parts to fix it when it fails?

Who pays for the upgrades as the technology moves forward?

Who owns the tools and the vehicles that the maintenance crews use?

Who buys the gas for those vehicles?

Does the WiFi equipment need electricity? How much? At what cost? Who buys that?

How much money is coming into businesses of Montesano because of the free WiFi?

I have similar questions about the proposed roundabout and rest area projects.

I want to know what additional costs the city will incur as a result of committing to these projects. I also want to know what financial benefit the city will realize as a result of completing these projects.

I don’t want those answers in a private meeting. I want those answers published in a way that everyone can look them over. I want garbage collectors and CPAs and doctors and beauticians to be able to look at the numbers and assess their validity. I want lawyers and grocery clerks, and shingle sawyers to have them presented to them in a way that they can find without having to search for them, and in terms they can understand. This is 2017. Pretty much everybody has the internet in their pocket. Keeping things a secret is for surprise birthday parties, and wrapping presents. Secrets have no place in city government.

Something isn’t right! I have been in to see the mayor of Montesano about three times a week for the last month. She is NEVER there. Now I know that the lady runs a business where she is all up in everyone’s trouble but isn’t being the mayor a business?

That young feller they hired just doesn’t seem to do much but talk to the employees the , fire chief, police chief , talk on his phone, work on his other contract business. (Why should he contract with other companies when he is getting paid so much?) Just cause he can doesn’t mean he should. Neither him nor the office people know where the Mayor is. I just want to ask about how much that free WiFi is going to cost me when Mr. Rich backs out, why she spent so much more money getting that boy to run the city, why she is buying forest land when she can’t afford clerks, why she wants to use her state connections to build that park and ride and then be left holding the costly maintenance bag, develop parks when the city is so broke, but hey she is never in her office.

I think by the time we pay for that forest land and then she dumps the wifi on us, and the park and ride, and the soccer fields, that should just about sink us. Of course she is looking at moving up higher in state government so she won’t be here but us long-time, fixed income residents will be eating dog food to pay for her schemes.

It looks to me like the city council should maybe check on who is really running the city, why the city manager is working for other people while sitting at his city desk, someone should check why he brings that apple laptop to work when the city don’t use them apples, why they are committing us to pay for these wants of hers, and why no one is trying to rein her in.

Looks like the city residents jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire when they elected her.

At the end of September there will be a festival in Fleet Park where, in violation of a city ordinance, alcohol will be possessed and consumed. Don’t worry, they’ll only arrest you for violating the law if they don’t like you.

Nobody has mentioned anything official yet, but it’s a fair bet there’ll be free Wi-Fi there, too. Free Wi-Fi will bring Montesano the kind of respect and international fame that requires the pedigree and class of a roadside hotel or tavern.

If we get a pot shop and a rest stop, all we’ll need then is 320 acres of timber that will produce revenue in “12-20 years.” We’ll be unstoppable.

Otherwise people might not think you’re capable of agendas when they’re an important part of your job, and then – just maybe – they’ll decide they should get somebody into your job that can stick to what they say they’re going to do.

If you don’t do what you say you’re going to do often enough, people may decide it’s either because you don’t know how (incompetent) or you’ve decided to say one thing and do something else (dishonest). After a while, it has to be one or the other.

Note: If anyone directly related with land annexation, lynch mobs and character assassination of former mayors, and city sales of land in the last year – year and a half – or so is reading this, please join in the comments. Tom, Steve, Ken, Paul, Andrea, et. al. are all welcome to fill in the blanks. I look forward to a lively discussion.

I just don’t think my new boss Vini understands the ordinances of the City. Why on earth is she having the great big drinking and fishing party at a City Park? Doesn’t she know there is an ordinance on the book that says:

10.04.180 Intoxicating liquor prohibited.

It is unlawful to possess a container of any alcoholic beverage, whether opened or unopened, while in any park or in any publicly owned parking area associated with a park. For purposes of this section, “possession” means having a container within one’s immediate reach or control and not secured in a location such as a vehicle’s trunk or storage compartment.

In addition to any other applicable penalty, any person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be subject to punishment as provided in Section 1.08.010. (Ord. 1519 §18, 2008). Isn’t beer intoxicating?

Then why is she disrespecting everyone else that has EVER been involved in Montesano politics and allowing a party at the park with alcohol? Some of the decent citizens are sick of her decadent lifestyle. They may not have to follow the rules on knob hill, but shouldn’t the Mayor of the city? I’ll bet she will just hold another secret meeting and get the council to change the ordinance. She says she owns them so let’s watch. One of these days someone is going to get REAL mad at her for only representing the “party guys”.